Been doing some tabletop gaming when I get burned out on digital ones (along with some aforementioned painting of game minis). There are buttloads of Co-op & solitaire games available these days, that are meant to be played against a somewhat randomized "AI" opponent. Lends so much more value to them, when you don't have to schedule & wait for a group to get a good engaging game. Get much more use out of these.

My recent purchases in action, a pair of 3'x3' black game mats for my game table, under a solitaire game of Dead Of Winter:

Dead Of Winter is pretty light on rules, more so for the solitaire variant. But that's not necessarily a bad thing if you want some light survival & resource management type of game.

Where it really shines is in it's pseudo-Coop multiplayer. Everyone has a secret objective in order to win. One of the players can even get a traitor objective card which basically makes them sabotage the group efforts and try to not get caught while doing so. I think that's one of the biggest reasons DofW is so popular. The "Crossroads Card" mechanic is also a fun but simple way of having some random story events that require hard decisions to be made.

I've only played a pair of solo games thus far but hopefully I can get a group of victims...errr.. players to join in because it looks like it could be easy enough to teach but still tense. That's where it's fun really is.

Turn 6 (end of 1572) - Takeda Shingen (red) musters his armies on the weak backside of the Oda Alliance (cream color), while their armies are fighting in the west, with an eye for Tokugawa's home castle. Tokugawa has been rushing back, after some early action against Azai/Asakura (green) and Ikko Ikki (black), but he still needs more reinforcement.

Oda Nobunaga and his various generals had been briefly pushed out of Kyo but recently surged back through. He has the various enemy alliances on the ropes, but with Takeda's entry there will be some tough decisions now that it's become a two front conflict. Even worse, the Mori alliance will also join the war against Oda soon.

Enjoing AMDT despite some rules clarification/errata and a few misprinted counters (only relating to set-up indicators on them).

The movement system, chit draws, and betrayal mechanics make for interesting changes in the situation. A personally modified "Good Fortune" rule gives some insurance against repeatedly bad chit draws but limits it to one use per turn between both players so it's gives some value to saving it for the right time.

Even in only the first six turns, the fortunes have see-sawed a couple times.

Tabletop gaming is a blast. #1 son has gotten into it with family friends, along with RPGs. Arkham Horror is presently a favorite alternative to RPGs, along side Space Hulk.

I've not done much Arkham Horror since picking up the newer Eldritch Horror. The game mechanics have been streamlined (something I thought AH needed) so it moves along at a better pace without missing much of the depth. I still occasionally look around for deals on AH expansions but it's generally all about EH when I'm in the Lovecraft gaming mood.

I've built quite a collection of the latest and greatest in the past couple years, along with some oldies and some revised oldies. Don't often get head-to-head games going since my old gaming buddies in KC have all moved off and turned into codgers. I do have a couple nephews who regularly ask but one's age limits the options in that case. I plan on selling the home in the next few years and moving back to Jed Clampett-land, where some of my old buddies still have Peter Pan Syndrome like I do. Could probably find some regular games then.

I recently picked up a few new titles. Some for me, one for playing with family of various age ranges. The latter being the reprint of Vlaada Chvatil's Prophecy. Much like Talisman but without the annoying Roll-To-Move mechanic and more interesting gameplay in general.

In the process of painting the rest of the heroes in my Descent 2nd Edition set (excellent game system, worthy of the hype) since I'm getting the Co-op (aka solitaire) variant cards printed for use with the ongoing campaigns. Basically turning it into a solo combat-oriented RPG. I also have the Star Wars version on order .. more painting! Broke down and invested in a wet pallet with the regular painting schedule.

It's good to have a huge game collection. Having this stuff around is good for the adult nerd, and really enhances the curiousity of the youngsters.

I'm glad there has been a big resurgence in tabletop gaming over the past few years. The quality, in both components and gameplay, has greatly eclipsed those from my youth (in all genres).

My interest in wargaming, and tabletop stuff in general, had waned at the end of the 90s so coming back to this in recent times is a refreshing experience. Especially when I get burned out on the same 'ole digital gaming stuff. There are so many fine new tabletops created for solitaire/co-op these days, a person can easily substitute one at a moment's notice without having to play mutliple sides or try to work around schedules for human opponents. So they don't just sit on the shelf gathering dust.

I still plan on looking for some local opponent regarding Mage Wars sometime, or even over Vassal. Because I'm a motherfucking sorcerer and that beast oozes that theme. But first is solo'ing GMT's Pax Romana to decide whether I want to P500 the 2nd edition reprint or just stick with the oldie. Will post pics again.

Bought Star Wars Armada a couple of weeks ago, been playing that a bit. Fun.

That and X-Wing look enjoyable but I've been actively avoiding them due to my huge backlog. Hell, I still haven't played Sails Of Glory yet, which uses similar card movement. That (and others) have been sitting on my shelf over a year, yet to be enjoyed.

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